Danica Patrick: You don’t have to be an athlete to get fit

Yes, anyone. Even people who have never had a regular workout routine. Even people who haven’t exercised in years. Even couch potatoes.

Our bodies are amazingly resilient. If you start working them hard, they just get stronger! So cross the I-haven’t-done-this-since-high-school and I’m-too-old excuses off your list.

Now you’re fired up to work out, right? But you can’t start a high-intensity routine if you haven’t exercised in a while. You’ve got to start slow and build up. It won’t take long to get back in shape. Before you start anything, be sure to check in with your physician to make sure you’re healthy enough for exercise.

Keep these tips in mind when you’re ready to start:

Prepare to feel sore. If you haven’t worked out and you start an exercise program, you’ll get sore. Your muscles will also swell as they’re torn apart and rebuilt. Don’t worry, it’ll pass.

Give it some time. Your body will start building muscle to handle what you’re doing in the gym. Meanwhile, it takes your body a little while longer to start burning fat. So you’ll probably gain a little weight at first if you don’t change your diet, which can cause confusion. People think their workouts aren’t working. (I’ve been there! You feel like you’re working your butt off but nothing’s happening.) It just takes time. Set monthly, even 6-week marks to measure your progress. Stick with it for three months and you’ll see and feel changes.

Create some incentive. Maybe it’s a goal like running a half marathon. Maybe you reward yourself with a trip. Work hard for three months, then take yourself to the beach. You’ll see how much better you feel when you work out on a regular basis and clean up your diet. You’ll feel so amazing that you won’t want to quit!

Weigh yourself—but not every day. Don’t be discouraged if the scale doesn’t move as much as you think. Try weighing in once a week or once a month. It’s a good way to keep yourself on track. Don’t give up if you don’t seem to lose much weight – your new muscle will change the way your body looks and feels.

Have a plan. Have a plan for your workouts, have a plan for your nutrition. Being organized will keep you on track and moving forward. You may be outside your comfort zone with all of it. But it can also be really fun, and if you’re doing it right, the results are phenomenal.

Working out isn’t a fad. It’s not a phase. It’s life. There are varying degrees of how deep you go into it, but it should absolutely be part of your routine.

Take care of your body! We only get one. If you want to be able to do everything you want to do in life, you have to be in shape.

Whether your goal is to run your 10th marathon or walk 10 feet across the room, our medically-based fitness centers and professional team of trainers and staff will help you reach it. Learn more.